


Impossible

by Dieced



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dieced/pseuds/Dieced
Summary: For my Discord's Secret Santa.Masamune and Yukimura meet under impossible circumstances, which they both come to treasure.
Relationships: Date Masamune/Sanada Yukimura
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Impossible

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sam/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Sam! Here's some cute/sad DateSana for you!

Masamune knew the Takeda army was nearby. His scouts had reported that morning with the news, and their assumed movements. The Takeda army and his own would pass each other closely, but likely not make contact. That suited them both best; the Date had their goal to head towards, and a needless fight would hinder everyone. It would be a waste of time and resources, with no real purpose. And yet, Masamune couldn't help but selfishly wonder if _he_ was within the Takeda's ranks. His rival. The one he always wanted to see most.

But it was not meant to be. The Date army had made camp for the night, as had the Takeda army, both well away from each other. The valley they were in was vast and forested, and the two camps couldn't even see each other. In the morning they would depart in separate directions, passing peacefully by.

Masamune and his generals held counsel before turning in for the night. But lying in his tent, Masamune found himself unable to sleep. After redressing, he stepped outside, turning his gaze skyward. The moon was full and bright, shining a gentle autumn orange. The air was warm still, and the night beckoned him. He needed to unwind after a long day of travel, and the nearby woods seemed ideal for a solitary walk. He knew he should let someone know where he was going, but then they'd probably advise him against straying from camp unguarded, and he didn't feel like being escorted tonight. Besides, he wouldn't be gone long, and he had his swords. Anyone foolish enough to attack the dragon would learn why he deserved his name.

The forest was thin enough to let in sufficient moonlight to see by, and for a while Masamune wandered aimlessly, letting the quiet of his surroundings still his thoughts. But he still felt restless, and like some unseen force was leading his feet farther into the woods than he had originally intended. He was beginning to worry if he'd have trouble finding his way back, when he saw the light of a clearing up ahead.

Approaching the break in the forest, his gaze was drawn to two things. First was a lone tree in the middle of the clearing. It stood solitary, a fair distance from the rest of the forest, and its bark was a strange smooth white. Its branches reached upwards, but bore no leaves to shade it from the glow of the moonlight.

The second thing Masamune noticed was Sanada Yukimura, sitting up in the tree's branches with his back against the trunk, his own gaze turned to face Masamune as he entered the clearing.

There was a moment of silence as the two held each other's eyes, then Yukimura's face lit up and he leapt down from the tree and ran up to Masamune, breaking the quiet.

“Masamune-dono! I heard tell your forces were nearby, but I never expected to see you. What brought you here this night?”

Masamune smiled fondly at Yukimura's words, noticing that he had brought his own spears with, but had left them at the base of the tree, forgotten in his haste to greet his rival. Yukimura's trust in him was foolish, yet endearing, and he wouldn't expect anything different.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Masamune replied. “Couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk.” He paused and looked around. “What is this place? It felt like something was drawing me here.”

Yukimura's face was always so open and honest with his emotions. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Oh! I see our paths are not so dissimilar! I do not know what this place is either, but I too felt drawn to it.”

Masamune chuckled. “So you find a strange tree in the woods, and your first instinct is to climb it?”

“It was not my first instinct!” Yukimura insisted defensively, but then he too relaxed and laughed. “But yes, after some time here, I found myself overtaken by a strange calmness, and let myself relax in this tree.”

Now that he mentioned it, Masamune did notice he felt calmer since reaching this clearing. He still didn't feel tired, but his earlier restlessness was gone.

Yukimura turned away, and his expression was soft as he looked skyward. “In truth, I was watching the moon from its vantage.”

“Is that so,” Masamune followed his gaze, and slowly closed the distance between them so they stood side-by-side. “Do you watch the moon often?”

“More than I used to. It reminds me of you.”

Yukimura's eyes never left the sky, so he didn't notice Masamune turn to him with a surprised expression, which quickly softened into a fond smile. Truly, his rival was one of a kind.

“I hope I'm not interrupting you then, Sanada. But would you want some company this night?”

Yukimura turned to him then, and the light in his eyes was so bright Masamune could feel it in his chest. “I would be honoured, Masamune-dono.”

Yukimura returned to the tree and Masamune followed him. This time Yukimura sat on the ground. Masamune sat down beside him, barely an arm's length apart, but neither were bothered by the closeness. They both leaned back against the tree's trunk and once again stared at the moon and the stars.

It was Yukimura who first broke the silence with an idle question, which Masamune answered openly. He returned it with one of his own, and they easily fell into casual conversation. They spoke for hours about nothing at all, just enjoying each other's company in this strange moment of peace.

But the moon continued its path across the sky, and eventually began to slip beneath the horizon. Without its glow, the clearing grew dark, and Masamune felt exhaustion finally began to pull at him. He turned to Yukimura, who had fallen silent minutes ago, and found the other was showing signs of weariness too.

Masamune stood up and offered a hand, which Yukimura took with a smile.

“It's been fun, Sanada, but I best be heading back before anyone notices I'm gone.”

“I as well. I fear Sasuke may notice my absence and come looking for me.” Yukimura looked slightly guilty.

Masamune still hadn't released Yukimura's hand, so he gave it one final parting squeeze. “Until we meet again, then.” He released his hand and turned to walk away. Behind him, he heard Yukimura speak softly.

“I'll be waiting.”

* * *

It was several months later when Masamune found himself lying awake, unable to sleep again. Oushu was quiet and there was nothing pressing demanding his concern, and yet sleep eluded him. He contemplated whether he should try a calming tea or not, but then he was struck by a sense of familiarity. He had felt this particular restlessness before, because it came with the sense of needing to move. His mind drew up the memory of that strange night in the woods with Sanada Yukimura, and when Masamune looked outside, he realized it was another full moon, just like before.

It was a crazy thought, but then again, stranger things had happened.

Masamune slipped quietly out to the stables and readied his horse, who seemed to be waiting for him. Perhaps, Masamune mused, it wasn't such a crazy thought after all.

As he rode away from Oushu, it was as if his horse knew where it needed to go without being told, despite it being an unfamiliar route. They rode past rapidly changing scenery, unwavering in direction, until his horse slowed to a stop outside a patch of woods. It was impossible to have travelled to this place in such a short time, and yet Masamune's heart knew where he was. He just knew.

He dismounted, patting his horse gently as it set to graze. No need to bother tying it up; his horse would never stray far from him. He walked into the strange, impossible woods a second time, guided by moonlight and an unexplainable sense of direction.

When he reached the white tree, he was bemused to note that there was no-one present, but he doubted he'd have to wait long. And he was proven correct when, less than an hour later, Sanada Yukimura walked into the clearing from the opposite side, looking equal parts surprised and yet not.

“Masamune-dono! I somehow knew I'd find you here.”

“I felt the same way,” Masamune replied fondly, patting the grass beside him at the base of the tree.

Yukimura joined him, and they wasted no time in catching up, swapping stories of their respective lives. The strangeness of this night wasn't lost on either of them, but the calmness of this place and their shared moment together trumped any trepidation they might have had. There was a mutual understanding not to question it, lest they break the magic of whatever had brought them together.

* * *

The strange magic that allowed Masamune and Yukimura to be brought together continued for many years. Always it was the same; under the light of a full moon, they would each feel a calling to ride to that forest, and would somehow be able to make it there and home in one night, no matter where they both were.

Their conversations changed throughout the years as they both grew with age. They discussed battles, their families, accomplishments and failures, and sometimes they discussed pleasant nothings. Many times they said nothing at all, just enjoying each other's presence.

They grew closer over the years, figuratively and literally. After the first few meetings they stopped sitting so far apart, and instead sat leaned against each other. It felt only natural to do so, in this place where rank and honour were left behind.

Neither could recall who had been the first to kiss the other, but it didn't really matter. It was just the next easy step in their relationship.

But outside their moonlit meetings, their lives progressed. They grew older, and fought many battles. And finally, as unstoppable as time itself, came what they both knew would be their final battle. The Summer Siege of Osaka.

The night before their armies were set to clash, Masamune and Yukimura were both grateful to feel that familiar pull that heralded one of their impossible meetings.

Yukimura was the first to arrive in that place, which they had come to call their own. He waited for Masamune in the branches of the tree, as he had first done so many years ago, and Masamune laughed at the memory as he arrived.

“You haven't aged a day, Sanada!” he called in greeting.

Yukimura smiled and shook his head, hopping down. “Liar.”

Masamune moved to embrace him, and they kissed warmly. “Maybe I am,” Masamune said, breaking the kiss. “But your fire hasn't dimmed one bit since the day I met you.”

Yukimura smiled, but it didn't truly reach his eyes, and he turned in Masamune's arms to face the moon.

It didn't need to be said. They both knew this night would be their last. Even the air around them seemed heavier, as if this place itself was mourning.

But death was a part of their lives, and they refused to let it darken this gift they had been given. They spent their last night happy in each other's arms, remembering only the good times together. And the moon's trek across the sky seemed especially slow, giving them all the time they needed.

When it was time to part, they both felt it. The night couldn't last forever; tomorrow had to come, for the sake of the future.

Masamune took Yukimura's face in his hands, and Yukimura leaned into the touch. “If there is a life after this, I'll find you again. I swear it, Sanada Yukimura.”

Yukimura leaned in to kiss him, then stepped back. “I'll be waiting, Date Masamune.”

* * *

History would never remember their love, but they did. Centuries later, two boys would be born, and as those boys grew into young men, memories of a previous life would slowly return to them.

So when Date Masamune, although he was no longer called as such, felt a familiar force pulling at his heart one night, he could barely contain his excitement as he hopped on his motorcycle and took off.

The city lights and country roads blurred around him as he passed, travelling an impossible distance in an impossible time. When he reached his destination, he laughed out loud when he saw it.

He was in a city square, surrounded by pavement and buildings, not a forest in sight. And yet there, in the middle of the square, was a modern art piece. A large sculpture of twisted white metal, forming the shape of a tree.

And sitting atop that metal tree, looking at Masamune with unrestrained joy, was Sanada Yukimura.

The two old souls were made young again, and they rushed to embrace. Held once again in each other's arms, they both thanked whatever forces were at play that allowed them this. This second chance. In this life, there would be no wars to keep them apart. No statuses to adhere to. Only each other, and their entire lives ahead of them.


End file.
